I test hung up bolt action rifles on my walls last night... got my bored vertical rack boards back from my machinist on Monday... put a couple coats of urethane on them, bored 2 screw counter sink holes, measured where they needed to be, so the longest stock & barrels would fit properly in the corner, & put them up... I'll finish putting a couple more coats of urethane while they are mounted on the walls... I used my cheapie hardware store dowels to verify everything would hang up right... I picked up a pack of 1/2" mushroom shapped plugs... my 1st thought was to cover up the screws, but MRS suggested I put them in all the non-used holes, after I finish setting everything up... I like that idea, it'll give everything a more custom look, & if I wanted to shift anything around, I'd just have to pop out the plug & slip a dowel in the hole... I got 14 scoped bolt actions on the rack in the corner, & have room for a couple more... I might pull my 25-06 with the unertl scope on it, out of the storage crate, to make sure that'll fit ok... I have a little bolt action single shot & my CASS lever gun on the wall right now, those will come down, giving me room for 4-5 more rifles in the corner total ( I just put them up to verify that my measurement were correct for a full variety of guns ) the lever guns will go on a different wall, along with my single action revolvers... the single shot will likely go on the moveable /wheeled center vertical rack, that the shotguns & other single shot big bore rifles will be going on... I think I have 5-6 more bolt action repeaters in the storage crate that will go on the wall in this corner... it's a dream come true... to see them on the wall in all their glory... now to pull them down, & finish up the racks, so they can get back to their new home...

I'm also thinking about some sort of finishing touch to the dowel ends ( brass would look nice ??? )... I planned on finish sanding them nice, but a round ball, some sort of cap, or even a drawer pull on the end might look nicer... just thinking about ideas... that'll get done much later, after the rest of the room is completed... I was thinking, that a 1/2" deep brass ring, might look intersting, with finished wood on the end ) again MRS suggested the ends of cases ( I had some case head "buttons" made up from old case heads, for my holster making a while back ) that would be cool, but doing the rim fire 17 would be tougher, & I don't think there is a head stamp on any rimfire ??? but for the centerfire cartridges, that could be done, by gluing a case head button from the cartridge the gun is chambered for on the end of the 2 dowels used for that rifle ???

any other suggestions for dressing up the ends of the dowels ???

I'll have the next lot of paneling in on Thursday, & will be able to finish up the other corner, so I can start my loading bench...

I'll have to find a way to get a couple pics up somehow, as the finished Hackberry looks mighty nice, under all those bolt actions...